"I don't know; I have had no rendezvous or heard mysterious stories myself, but they have authorized me to exercise my muscles, and I take advantage of the permission by rooting up some of the trees." "What for?" "To keep my hand in, and also to take some bird's-nests; I find that more convenient than climbing up the trees." "You are as pastoral as Tircis, my dear Porthos." "Yes, I like the small eggs; I like them very much better than larger ones. You have no idea how delicate an omelette is, if made of four or five hundred eggs of linnets, chaffinches, starlings, blackbirds and thrushes." "But five hundred eggs is perfectly monstrous!" "A salad-bowl will hold them easily enough," said Porthos. D'Artagnan looked at Porthos admiringly for full five minutes, as if he had seen him for the first time, while Porthos spread himself out joyously and proudly. They remained in this state several minutes, Porthos smiling, and D'Artagnan looking at him. D'Artagnan was evidently trying to give the conversation a new turn. "Do you amuse yourself much here, Porthos?" he asked, at last, very likely after he had found out what he was searching for. "Not always." "I can imagine that; but when you get thoroughly bored, by-and-by, what do you intend to do?" "Oh! I shall not be here for any length of time. Aramis is waiting until the last bump on my head disappears, in order to present me to the king, who I am told cannot endure the sight of a bump." "Aramis is still in Paris, then?" "No." "Whereabouts is he, then?" "At Fontainebleau." "Alone?" "With M. Fouquet." "Very good. But do you happen to know one thing?" "No, tell it me, and then I shall know." "Well, then, I think that Aramis is forgetting you." "Do you really think so?" "Yes; for at Fontainebleau yonder, you must know, they are laughing, dancing, banqueting and drawing the corks of M. de Mazarin's wine in fine style. Are you aware that they have a ballet every evening there?" "The deuce they have!" "I assure you that your dear Aramis is forgetting you." "Well, that is not at all unlikely, and I have myself thought so sometimes." "Unless he is playing you a trick, the sly fellow!" "Oh!" "You know that Aramis is as sly as a fox." "Yes, but to play me a trick--" "Listen; in the first place, he puts you under a sort of sequestration." "He sequestrates me! Do you mean to say I am sequestrated?" "I think so." "I wish you would have the goodness to prove that to me." "Nothing easier. Do you ever go out?" "Never." "Do you ever ride on horseback?" "Never." "Are your friends allowed to come and see you?" "Never." "Very well, then; never to go out, never to ride on horseback, never to be allowed to see your friends, that is called being sequestrated." "But why should Aramis sequestrate me?" inquired Porthos. "Come," said D'Artagnan, "be frank, Porthos." "As gold." "It was Aramis who drew the plan of the fortifications at Belle-Isle, was it not?"